Improvement in the manufacture of iron and steel



H. BESSEMER.

Making Bessemer Steel. No. 49,051. l Patented July 25.1865.

Al. 'NOVO-Llull. l'. (.*m m

UNITE-D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY BESSEMER, OF LOXDON, ENGLAND.

IMPRovEMeNT IN T H-e MANUFACTURE or4 IRON ANusTEEI..

Specification fortuin'.v part of Letters Patent Xo. 49,05l, dated July 25, 1.365.

To all u-wm it may concern:

Be it. known that I, HENRY Bsssumm, of Queen Street Place, bew Caution Street, in the city of London, iu the Kingdom of Great Britain, .have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron and Steel; and *Idoihereby declare the .followingto be va. full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawf ings In the specification of apatent granted to me for improvements in the manufacture of iron and steel, bearing date the 12th day of February, 1856, I have shown how by means of jets or currents of air orvsteatn the process of decarbonization of crude or pig iron ismade to produce a pure or nearly pure steel or malleav ble iron, and how I retain by such mea-ns the malleable metal in a tluid state, so as to allow of its bein g pou-red or run into in gots or masses capable ot being afterward hammered or I IOuda y y My present invention relates, first, to pe culiar modes by which the decarbonization or partial dccarbouization -and refinement of iron iseected by means of currents orjets of atmospheric air. or steam, (alone or mixe-IL) which are made to itnpingc upon the surfaccor pass through or in contact with the metal while in a fluid state; secondly, in t-hema-nn'eriu which the metal so treated is. formed intoingots or massessuitauie for being afterward made into bars, plates, or rods bythe process of hammerin'gor rolling. v

For the process of decarbonizing and refinement ofthe iron without the use of additional fuel for that purpose, Icoustruetahoav or chamber of brick, tire-stone, or iron lined with loam or other slow conductor of heat. The chamber should be closed, except at one end, where there is a raised outlet for the escape of the air or steam and aeriform matters produced.

l At the oppositeend the cover rises, so as to form a space for the admission of the air or .stcam above the -surfacerof the mtal. The v .'metal in a fluid state is :un into the box or chamber, which njiay he previously heatethso astio fill it up -to thefeoyer and at least afew .Y inches up the'raised parts. The air or steam is then forced into lthe space above the surface ofthe metal, which-will bedisplaced therefrom and ,allow the air orfsteam to find its way along the cover of the chamber and pass up through the metal in the raised outlet, where it Willescape, and where the slag formed in the process will also be carried. The cover may beat or corrugatethor itmay h tvc projecting ribs, with or without perforations, to obstruct the too easy passage of the air.

To enable others skilled in the art to more fully understand and construct and use my invention, I have shown three uioditcatiousofapparatus on the sheet ot' drawings hereunto au-.

nexed, suitable for carrying into practical 'operation this part of my said invention. t

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section,- and Fig. 2 a cross-section, of a 'rectangnlar'box or chamber to be I'Ised for this purpose.

E is the outer casing of iron, lined with firebrick or other suitable refractory substance.

F is a compartment, closed air-tight at the top, andinto which air or steam. ora. mixture of air and steam, 'may be conducted by means ofthe pipe G. At the opposite end of the apparatns there is a raised'outlet, H, from which the llame and gaseous products may escape.

Fluid crude iron is to be run or poured in to the apparatus until it rises a few inches above the roof orcover I. The blast may then be letinto the compartment F, the effect of which will beto disturb the level of the tiuid metal by de.- pressingthat portion whichoccupies'thecompartment F and raising the level of the metal in the outlet-passage H.' As soon, however.,`

as the metal is lowered to theleveloftheeover I the air or steam under pressure will rush in -a broad sheet along the surface ofthe molten iron and bubble up through the metal'in the outlet-passage 1I. A rapid circulation will thus be produced, and every part ofthe metal will thus in tIIrn cotuc under the influence of the` air or steam. forced into the compartment F and become refined and decarbonizedto the desired extent. The slag or scorie produced in f the process will tloat ou the surface of the metal in the outletpassage Al1.

` AtJ there is a tapping-hole stopped with loain,through which the metal may be run into suitable 'molds as soon as it has acquiredpy the process the -propcr degree-,vof refinement and malieahility.

It will be observcdlthat iu this fcrmfofzap paratns the process o f forcing airor' steam through the molten mass may be ldiscontinued e i l y 49,051

and resumed, when desired, by means ofavalv'e which may be placed on the pipe G, there be- Ying no tuyeres below the surface o f the metal to become stopped up b v` a cessation of the blast.: The workman may therefore disconforated screen, which will have the eii'ectot'more e completely dividing the current and diffusing it throughout the metal.

Thermode of constructing apparatus for this purpose will be better understood by reference to Fig. 3, which is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 4, which is a cross-section, of an apparatus similar to the one herein lastly described, except that there is a perforated tire-lump or perforated stone bridge at- K, which prevents the air or steam forced into the space L from passing along the roof )l withouttirst passing through the periorations, which act as tnyeres and distribute the blast in jets, which rise up through the 'metal and collect under the roof until the metal is displaced therefrom sutii` ciently to allow the air or steam to force its way beneath the bridge N and rise up atid escape through the outlet-passage 0. lt will be observed that ',in this form of outlet-passage there is a tendency t'or the air or st cam toV es cape upward in contact with the brick-work, instead' of passing up through the body of the metal. 1 therefore form in some cases a projecting part, so as to throw oti'the-air or steam and cause it to risc through theud metal. In order to accomplish this result itis desirable that this projecting part should extend so far down into the vessel thatthc greater part of the air or steam shall tend to rise verticaily` through the metal. better understood by reference to the longitndinal section, Fig. 5, where I is theprojecting part referred to.

Many other modica'tious'of this apparatus may be made and used with more or4 tess atlvantage, the main object. being to canse currents of air or steam to be forced through and in contact with molten iron without the use'of tnyeres or nozzles situated below the surface. of the nid metal, and thus enable the'proc'ess.

to be stopped and resumed when required, and prevent the wear and tear ofv tuyeres or noz zles. t

The second part of my invention consists in constructing an ingot-niold having a runner or gate communicating with the bottom of the lmold and extending upward to the. topof it,

so that the mold i-s tilled from its lower end,the metal risingnpward until itistilled. When the mold is of iron the runnersshould be lined with loam to prevent the metal from becoming This modification will be soiitmea thepinvbefre the iugtiscmpied;

but I sometimes formvsnch ingot-mold of porous tire-clay, tirestone,'or other slow conductor.

of heat, so thatthc metal will retain'its fluidity suiciently long to allow much of the gaseous matters to escape, which would otherwise. render the casting cellular.

In order that. the mode of forming ingots of malleable steel or malleable iron that has been converted directfrom crude fluid iron may be fully understood', l have shown on the sheet of drawings hereunto annexed, in elevation, at Fig.6,on e halfofan iron ingot-inold,and a plan of thc entire mold at Fig. 7.

1 is the passage down which the duid metal is poured, and t.' is the main body of theingot, The passage or ruimer 1 is lined np with loam so as to prevent the chilling of the metal thereon. The two halves of the mold are secured together by bolts passing through the lugs 3,

which retain the par-ts in position during the 'casting process, after which the bolts are unscrewed and the ingot removed from the mold. Ingots cast ofthis metal are sometimes found to be cellular, and l will now explain how the tendency to this defect in cast ingotsmay be also lessened or removed. by forming the mold as nearly airtight as possible; 1t should be placed so that an opening inthe lower part ofv A parthe mold will dip into the tinid metal. tial vacuum is then to be formed in the mold by opening a cock which communicates with a previously exhausted vessel, and vby means of which the. air occupying the mold will be removed and the tluid metal caused by atmospheric pressure to till the'niold, the metal rising upward into the vacuons space without pro- I d ucing that admixturc otair which results from pouringtin the inetal from abo-ve, while theless cned pressure of the air above the surface of the metal will assist in the disengagement of any gaseous matters contained therein.

A mold suitable for forming ingots in this manner 1s represente-d in vertical section atFig. 8 on the annexed sheet of drawings, where 4 is the niold, having an exhaust pipe and cock, 5, in connection with its lupper end and a short piece of tireclay pipe fixed into-the lower end of it. A gutter, down which 'the metal-is nl lowed to how from the decarbonizing vessel or chamber, is shown at having a hollow or recess at its lower end, in which the metal collects, and in which the tire-clay pipe is inserted, so

that whenever the molten metal rises high enough to cover the lower end of the pipe C the cock leading to the exhaust-vessel may be opened, when the fluid metal will rise up and till the mold without having been divided by the air, as in the act offalling into a mold,as usual, and whereby thel tendency to form air-bnbbles bythe fallin-g current of tluid metal is avoided.

I do not necessarily conueniyself to the precise arrangement of parts herein shown, and

details not herein laid down may be carried out in any manner known tot-heart, and which may be found-applicable to myfinvention.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new t-here'in and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. Forcing currents of air or steam through A and iu contact with molten iron without the use of tuyeres or nozzles, substantially in the manner shown.

.E. A converting-vessel divided into twov chambers. so that air or steam forced upon the surface of the metal in one chamber ma) pass into the metal in the other chamber under or through the partition betiveen the tivo chambers.

or in combination, in converting molten iron, for the purpose of more thoroughlydi'using thecurrentsofairorsteam through said molten iron.

3. TheprojectionsNand P,either separately chambers or vessels for- 4. The perforated screen K, either'biv itself or in combination with either or both of theprojectbns N and P, inchambers or vessels for converting molten iron, for -the purpose of more thoroughly diffusing the curreutsofairor steam through said molten iron...

A5. A mold provided with arunuer or run- HENRY BESSEMER.

'itnesses: i

.A L. HoLLEY,

DAvn. LoNGDoN. 

